Dark Cadence
by Hawkflight7
Summary: Shepard is being followed. From small space ports to the Citadel. Question is: Who is it and Why?
1. Chapter 1

**Dark Cadence - 1**

**Summary: Shepard is being followed. From small space ports to the Citadel. Question is: Who is it and Why?**

**Inspired by a prompt over on the Mass Effect Kink Meme. Yes, this is the second one with this pairing. I'll probably fill more for this pairing over there, so if you want you can leave a prompt for these two at the meme, it's anonymous.**

There was a whirr as a ship started up that steadily grew louder until it joined all the other ships coming and going from the port.

Shepard watched from the railing above the main entrance. The Normandy was currently in there as well getting fuel so they could jump into solar systems and look for stranded people, as well as items for the Crucible. It was taking longer than usual though because of lack of supplies in this space port but they hadn't had enough fuel to get to another. So they were stuck here, for now anyways.

She pushed from the railing, turning to walk through the thick crowds that held her shipmates in them as well, somewhere. It would still be an hour until they needed to be back on the ship though so she didn't bother looking for them as she squeezed past people. It appeared that no one was looking at her uniform and then getting out of the way like they tended to do at the Citadel. Everyone was just hurrying to get their supplies, return to their ship, and get as far away from the Reapers as possible. Except no where was safe from them and this running didn't help matters very much. Now more recruits for the Alliance and it's allies would be helpful.

There was a light pressure on her shoulder and Shepard turned slightly to get out of the way of whoever it was but the hand stayed on the spot. "Excuse me-" she began, turning her head to glance over her shoulder but the hand moved now, following the curve of her upper back to her other shoulder before falling away completely. Shepard glanced quickly to her other side but whoever it had been was now lost in the crowd.

With a frown she turned back around to continue towards the shops in the hope that some still had good gun upgrades lying around.


	2. Chapter 2

**Dark Cadence - 2**

**Sorry for the wait.**

Her back was itching. Ever since she was in the crowd at that space port she felt like eyes were on her everywhere she went. It made her skin crawl each time she went into a crowd, fully expecting the same person to be within it. To brush up against her in some casual way but then linger there too long. The feeling only increased when she had to move out of the lights. In fact, it got worse.

She was breaking out in a cold sweat now even though it was close to ninety-six degrees and she was wearing her uniform that might as well have added four more degrees with its layers. Shepard brushed off some of the sweat from her brow as she set a brisk pace in the warm air, staying in the shadows as a way to escape the heat. Her skin only felt sticky though as she kept it up. Somehow the cold of the liquid on her skin unnerved her even more.

This was the Citadel. She shouldn't be worrying about some random person she had never seen before. Not that she could remember anyway.

Maybe it had all just been an accident. Maybe that pause hadn't been purposeful, that touch along her back... Maybe they had started to push past her and realized they were going the wrong way and had turned because of that. Perhaps the hand had stayed on her because the person thought the crowd would jostle them over if they didn't grab onto _something_.

Though why did that something have to be her?


	3. Chapter 3

**Dark Cadence - 3**

She kept pondering the question as she walked.

It's not like there hadn't been other people all around her. You had to shove your way through them. If just a bit more pressure had been applied, forceful pressure that is she would have believed someone was doing just that to her in their rush to get out of the sea of refugees.

As it was there was no ocean surrounding her now. Actually... Shepard glanced around, stopping when she found no other pedestrians in this part of the Citadel. Not a soul, and that uncomfortable, undeniable feeling that someone was watching her had just grown with this realization.

"Kasumi?" She voiced the name of the skilled thief into the warm evening air. "This isn't funny." Her gaze moved slowly around as she waited for the woman's voice to filter through her ear piece. When a minute had passed and there was still nothing she glanced into the shadows, turning in place as she called for her companions. "Garrus? Javik? Tali? Liara?" She didn't bother with EDI and Joker, they were both at the movies today. Waiting another second she asked the empty passage hopefully, "Kaidan?"

Still no response. She could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed, even with her heavy breathing disrupting the quiet.

There was a ghost of air against her back then, something - a hand - sweeping her hair to the side and then the gust was gone.

She turned around quickly, hand up on the hair that had been moved, keeping it in place as she tried to catch sight of what it had been. The corridor in front of her was empty. She tried again, hoping one of them would be there and answer her. Hopefully drunk and laughing at her foolishness. Thinking that someone was actually following her. "Jack? Miranda? Grunt?" In a last ditch effort she tried, "Aria?"

Silence.

She let out a breath she had been holding. Just the air then, it was most likely the vents were just being faulty-

The back of her neck was wet, warm. A tongue collecting the cold drops of her sweat and she froze for a moment.

Then she was turning, throwing an arm behind her to catch the person, but it flew through empty air. That feeling on her neck was no longer present. There was just a voice hanging in the air, "Shepard," it hissed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Dark Cadence - 4**

The voice had sent her feet into motion.

Boots hitting the ground with a thud that echoed all around her, ricocheting off the flat metal and concrete. Her breath was coming fast as she raced away from the alley, the voice. She made her way out of the cool shadows and into the searing heat no longer caring when sweat ran down her skin.

As long as she didn't feel him licking it off her skin again she could care less about the heat. She had gotten out of that desolate place and that's all that mattered.

No feet had followed after her. She would have heard it if that was the case.

Nothing but laughter from the man when she sprinted away. That man, whoever he was was just playing with her. She felt her blood heat up even more as she pushed through the crowd of people, no longer liking them after what happened the last time.

After what had just happened barely a minute ago.

She burst through the throng and onto the dock, quick to enter the vacant Normandy and ride the elevator up to her quarters.

When the doors swung open she took a moment to breathe, drinking in the air until her eyes fell on a form on her couch while she descended the stairs of her cabin at a much slower pace. A scream ripped through the air and it was up and moving. Arms wrapping around her, lips placed on her cheek, soft murmuring in her ear to quiet down.

_He's here!_

She was practically in sobs when the voice broke through, "Shepard! Shepard, are you okay? What happened?"

Her eyes widened, staring at him. "Kaidan?" It wasn't that man. She threw her arms around him, crying in relief until he calmed her down and she told him about how she had thought someone was following her since a few weeks ago at the station. How she always felt eyes on her when she got off the Normandy and this time the man had started touching her again, but in more intimate ways.

By the time she was done she lay in his arms on the bed, looking up at the ceiling instead of him. She should have mentioned her suspicions earlier so that this wouldn't have happened...

"It's not your fault." It was like he was reading her mind. "Next time you go out just make sure either me or one of the crew is with you so he can't do this again. If he does try anything even then we will catch the bastard." She nodded her head, to feel his fingers on her chin, turning her face until she was looking up at him. "I promise you that this won't continue any further."


End file.
